Floods in Madagascar

Credit: Credit: Jacques Descloitres; MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Tuesday, 30 March 2004, 06:00 CST Download full size image

On March 7, 8 and 10, 2004, Tropical Cyclone Gafilo stormed across Madagascar, dumping heavy rains that ultimately burst the banks of the rivers in the low-lying west. In this false-color Aqua MODIS image from March 18, 2004, the flooding (upper center) appears dark blue and black against the bright green land. Compared to an earlier, pre-flood image from January 23, 2004, (roll over the image to see the earlier image), the flooding is extensive, especially along the Betsiboka River Estuary. Mud-tainted water has inundated crop lands and villages, causing serious harm to major rice-growing areas as well as fresh-water wells. In addition to a significantly lower rice crop, Madagascar's residents also have the added worry of water-borne diseases like malaria to deal with.

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